Submarine with detachable conning-tower for life-saving purposes.



V. CAVALLINI. SUBMARINE WITH DETACHABLE CONNING TOWER FOR LIFE SAVING PURPOSES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY H1914 Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I [hv-en for firm-nay.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co..wAsmNGToN, u. c.

Y V. CAVALLINI. SUBMARINE WITH DETACHABLE CONNING TOWER FOR LIFE SAVING PURPOSES APPLICATION FILED JULY 1. 1914.

1,1 59,745. Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co WASHINGTON. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

vIRGrNIocAvALmNI, or-srnzm, ITALY.

SUBMLARINE WITH DETACHABLE CONNING-TO-WEB FOR LIFE-SAVING- PURPOSES.

Application filed July 1, 1914. Serial No. 848,406.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VIRGINIO CAVALLINI, a subject of the King of Italy, residing in the city of SpeZia, Province of Genoa, Kingdom of Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Submarines with Detachable Conning-Towers for Life-Saving Purposes, of Which the following is a specification.

Ever since the first submarines were invented, the attention of builders'wasdirected to the best means of bringing the crew--to the surface in case the craft, owing to some damage to the hull, or through any other cause, were unable to come again afloat, be ing thus forced to remain stranded the bottom of the sea. With this object in view, several methods have been proposed, chiefly based upon the principle of fitting on to the submarine independent parts, detachable at will, consisting in floating bodies, buoys, or even actual boats, by .means of which the crew, or part of it, might successfully reach the surface. The above mentioned idea is no doubt very rational, but the application of said contrivances, in order to eflectively insure the safety of the crew, proves generally so difficult and cumbersome as to be wholly unpract'ical, unless the dimensions of the detachable parts are extremely liniited, in which case only one or very few persons might avail themselves of this means of escape. It 'sutfices, in fact, to look at any type of submarine in orderto come to the conclusion that all these cumbersome contrivances, occupying a large portion of" the free space on board, such as buoys or other floating apparatus capable of containing several-persons, are quite out of question for lack of space, while it would be impossible to apply themex-ternally without altering the shape and dimensions of the hull and impairing the seaworthiness of the boat. According to the present invention, however, it is proposed to make use, for life-saving,

- purposes, of a part of the submarine'itself,

capable of containing thewhole crew. namelythe conning t'o'wer, which is "always applied to all craft ofthis type; The de" vary accordingto circumstances, in order to adapt it to the shape'of the deck and. to the Specification of- Letters Patent.

submarine.

Patented Nov. 9., "1915.

structure of the submarine. The body of the conning-tower may, moreover, be provided externally with light plates so as to perfectly round off the edges at its junction with the upper structure of the submarine.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates byway of example a conning tower-according to the present invention and its connections with the hull of the vessel: Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a vertical longitudinal section on line 1 of Fig. '2 and a top view of the conning-tower, partially uncovered in order to show better its internal construction. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the same,-on line wm of Fig. 2.

The conning-tower l is built of steel plates, or ofothermaterial, magnetic or not magnetic according to the requirements and is socon'stru'ctedas to be able to withstand thepressure of the greatest depth for which the submarine is intended. A hatchway the cover of which may beQshut or opened from both sides, gives access from Y the outside.

One or more hatchways 3, furnished with a double shutter l,' which can be operated from either side, allow communication between the interior 5 of the conning-tower and the interior '6 of the These shutters 4 are of the type'with-ba yonet-joint looking or of a similar type capable of resisting pressure from both sides: The communication between the conning-tower and the submarine is obtained as'follow's: a metal hatchway 3* is bolted to the resisting hull 7'of the submarine the connection of this hatchway with the conning-towerjmight be elfected by means of a rigid'metallic flange and bolts to'be 0perated 'from"the inside. In the drawing, is

represented a far more rapid and safe system.

The hatchway body '3+ ends on its upper edge with a conical tapering '8..

To the bottom of the conning-tower is attached by means of a metal ring 9, an elastic" collar "10 of rubber or of any othersuitable material. This collar consists of a circular horizontal flange -10- which adheres to the bottom of the conning-tower to which it is connected by means of a flat metal ring" '9 and of a vertical collar 10""- which is inserted on the tapered end of the hatchway body 3. This vertical 1 elastic collar is surrounded by a metalband --11. connected with a shaft 11 which may be controlled from the inside of the con hermetically closed by means of a bayonetjoint or of any other joint which may operated, from either side.

The conning-tower, Fig. 3, rests by means of blocks l5 riveted to its sides, upon as many blocl-ts 16 connected with the body of the subi'narine. The contact surface of the blocks 1516 is so inclined that the conningtower gets easily detached even if the boat has heavily heeled. In correspondence with these blocks it is convenient, although net strictly necessary, to provide locking members 17 so as to insure the transversal rigidity of the connection in the event of the submarine being struck by cross-waves during its navigation on the surface. The bottom 18 of the conning-tower rests in a cradle shaped structure -19 superposed on the hull of the submarine. In the interior of the conning-tower is provided a longitudinal shaft 20- which ends at each of its extremities in a cross-piece -21 carrying two locking bolts 22 which may, gliding on an inclined plane, engage the stirrup E23 fastened to the submarine. The longitudinal shaft is divided into two halves connected by means of a sleeve -24- forming a screw-coupling with two threads in opposite direction engaging corresponding threaded portions at the ends of the two shafts. The sleeve 'is rotated by means of the hand-wheel 25. This arrangement renders it possible to free together the bolts from the stirrups -23, which is of the greatest importance in case the submarine should find itself in an inclined position. The shaft rests on supports 26- and passes through two watertight recesses 27' in which are placed two drums loosely mounted on the shaft 20- and around which is wound the steel cable -29- connected with the hull 7 of the submarine.

The drums 28 loose on .the shaft 20, carry on their hub a worm wheel 30 engaging a perpetual screw 31 which allows to rrtate the drum at will. The object of these drums is to facilitate the coming to the surface with the conning-tower, regulating at will the speed of the ascension. In order to detach the conning-tower and to come to the surface with it, the following operations are to be performed. Supposing the. su marine to be resting at the bottom of the sea, the'crew passes froni'the hull into the interior of the conning-tower through I the hatchways 3 closing afterward both the shutters at the interior of the submarine and those inside the conning-tower. The crew then takes up a position around the walls of the conning-tower between the stanchions, ready for the operations of detachment which are ordinatelv the following: (1) Freeing the elastic collar l0 by means of the hand-wheel -l:2. (2) Withdrawal of the locking wedges17. At this moment the conning-tower is ready for the detachment which may take place instantaneously by means of the simple rotation of the hand wheel -25-, having for effect the contemporaneous disengagement of the four large locking bolts from the stirrups -Q3.

The regulation of the ascensional move ment is effected by means of the hand-wheel with the worm screw 3l, which allows the wheel 30 fastened to the drum 28 to revolve, thus unwinding the cable 29. This cable is fastened at one of its ends to the submarine while at the other end. is freely wound on the drum, so that it may be abandoned, after having been fully unwound if, on arriving at the surface, it isdesired to have the conning-tower completely free and independent from the submarine. The

various operations may easily be carried out.

conning-tower, either if the submarine be:

longitudinally or transversally inclined. In the longitudinal direction the conning-tower, according to the shape of the superstructure of the submarine, will'carry light connecting plates so fashioned as not to interfere with the detachment of the conning-tower in whatever manner thevessel may be heeling over.-

What I claim is:

1. Submarine vessels comprising in combination with the hull: a detachable con.- ning-tower; hatchways allowing communication between the conning-tower and the hull, each consisting of a cylindrical body fastened to the deck of the vessel, and terminating, in their upper part, with a tapered end; two shutters for each of the hatchways, placed at the two ends of the cylindrical body of same, hermetically closed and capable of being opened both from the inside andfrom the outside; an elastic collar set upon the tapered end of each hatchway body; a metallic band around the said collar, and means to press the band against the elastic collar.

2. In a submarine vessel of the class specified a plurality of blocks secured around the lower edge of the vertical wall of the detachable conning-tower on its outside; a corresponding number of blocks fastened to the deck of the vessel, of square section, having their face turned toward the conning-tower inclined so as to exactly fit with the corresponding face of the blocks first named; and locking members which traverse the said couples of blocks.

3. In a submarine vessel of the class specified having a detachable conning tower, the base of which fits to the deck of the submarine Vessel, means for longitudinally con necting the tower with the hull of the submarine vessel, comprising a horizontal shaft placed longitudinally inside the conning tower and divided into two portions, the projecting ends of which are threaded in opposite directions, a sleeve likewise threaded in opposite directions and acting on the two portions of the aforesaid shaft, connecting them and causing them to move simultaneously forward and backward, a cross piece at the free end of each of said portions, two

locking bolts provided at the ends of each cross piece disposed to embracethe hatchway and allow communication between the tower and the submarine vessel, and stirrups' secured to the deck of the submarine adapted to receive said locking bolts.

4:. In a submarine vessel of the class specified a horizontal shaft placed longitudinally VIRGINIO CAVALLINI.

Witnesses:

FRANCESCO VLLLABRUNA, FLAVIS AMELGETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington D. C."

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